The Osculation Interruption
by April in Paris
Summary: Sheldon comes back from his journey determined to be a better boyfriend. Amy welcomes him back determined to be a stronger woman. They both have something to say. If only it could get past their lips. If only their friends would stop interrupting.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: Just a ditty about Sheldon and Amy! Shockingly, this does not take place in my "Shamyverse." Enjoy!_**

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><p><strong>THE OSCULATION INTERRUPTION<strong>

**Sheldon comes back from his journey determined to be a better boyfriend. Amy welcomes him back determined to be a stronger woman. They both have something to say. If only it could get past their lips. If only their friends would stop interrupting.**

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><p><em>Okay, that wasn't so bad. And now it's over.<em>

Sheldon got up and followed Amy to the door, as she finished their conversation. He would not have admitted it, but he wasn't really listening. Not because he wasn't interested in what Amy was saying - she was the most interesting person he knew - but because he felt the release of blood through his arteries, which had been constricted most of the evening.

Even though Amy had been calm since she and Leonard had come to pick him up in Arizona, this had been their first stretch of time alone, and, honestly, he was frightened. Amy could be so many things he didn't understand and violent was one of them. Penny had told him about the pillow-bashing incident. What if Amy was saving up all of her anger to unleash it on him on their first Date Night? What if she used her purse and not just a pillow? _Would Amy break my impeccable face?_

But, instead, Amy had mostly talked. She had shared her frustrations, but in a contained fashion, and had even apologized to him for what she perceived as her role in the stresses that had caused him to flee. She had been so logical and calm and reassuring that Sheldon almost told her what he had decided on his journey. But the thought of saying it aloud had turned his mouth into a parched desert. So, instead, he had nodded deeply and tried to convey something, everything, with his eyes.

Amy had seemed content with that, his nonresponse. He wondered if she would always be content with it, and then he realized he hoped not. Someday, when he didn't know yet, he would tell her.

Standing in front of his apartment door, he noticed Amy had fallen silent, looking at him expectantly.

_Oh, yes. _Now it felt like too much blood was rushing through his circulatory system. He had missed this.

He smiled at her and reached for her waist, pulling her in closer. Pressing his lips against hers (_definitely missed this_), he tasted the saltiness from their Chinese food and the warmth from their tea. About to pull away, Amy surprised him by leaning into his lips and putting her hands on his arms. His circulatory system ramped up into overdrive at the newness of it. Amy was kissing him differently! She seemed, what?, softer? proactive? _Can a person be softer and proactive at the same time? _It occurred to him that this was probably a good sign and this, _this!, _would be the perfect time to tell her.

He backed up to look down at her, and he noticed she looked slightly flushed. _Is she embarrassed? Should I be embarrassed, too? But I__'__m not._

"Amy, while I was gone I did some thinking and -" he started, his hands still on her waist.

Suddenly Amy was slamming into him, and he lost his balance and fell backwards in shock. Amy landed on top of him, her arms and legs flailing.

"Oh, Jesus! Sorry guys!" Penny said. "I didn't think you'd be right by the door. Are you okay?"

Sheldon looked into Amy's eyes, wondering if he looked as terrified as she did. _She__'__s touching my bathing suit area!_ He felt incredibly hot. Amy took Penny's offered hand and scrambled ungracefully off of him. Which only made things worse. _Not my circulatory system this time._

"Sheldon, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Penny asked.

"I'm fine," he managed to croak out. He gulped. _If I don__'__t move, no one will know._

Amy groaned, and put her hand into the small of her back. "That's gonna leave one nasty door-knob shaped bruise."

"Let me look at it. I'm so sorry. What were you guys doing, anyway? Do you need some ice?" Penny clucked.

Then, _right here in front of me!_, Amy lifted up the back of her cardigan and blouse so that Penny could examine the injury. And, in the few seconds before Sheldon scrambled away to his bedroom, _for the love of all that is scientific!_, his eyes were filled with her creamy skin.

* * *

><p>" . . . then Leonard said that I should make an exception in this case, that Howard was my friend before he was my student. He thinks it was rude of me to defriend him on FaceBook. Do you think he's right?"<p>

"Yes," Amy answered, staring into her boyfriend's beautiful blue eyes. Not that he was noticing.

"Yes? That's it? Doesn't it seem like favoritism if I fraternize with one of my pupils on a regular basis? For example, tonight he's the only student joining us for Thai food."

"Sheldon, he is your only student period. It's fine."

"But I want to do this correctly. I don't want to mess this up, too."

Something in his voice, a vulnerability that she had rarely heard there, settled over Amy. She wanted, so badly, to tell him how loved he was, that his imperfections and failures didn't make him less loved, they just made him more human. _No, I will not tell him now. I will wait for the perfect moment. I want it to be romantic._

Instead, propelled by a memory of last week's Date Night, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.

"Amy, it's not Date Night," he pulled away from her too quickly.

"So?" she tried to sound coquettish.

"See, this is a perfect example of what happens if you make an exception to established principles. One minute, someone decides it's acceptable to socialize with a student and the next minute you're kissing me at unscheduled times. Chaos ensues!"

Out of habit, Amy started to take the hurt and fold it up into another origami shape to fit into her heart, but then she stopped herself._ No, I made myself a promise while Sheldon was gone._

"It's not chaos, Sheldon. It's what being in a relationship is about. It's a sign of -" she caught herself just in time "- affection. I'm your girlfriend, and I think I deserve your affection."

He licked his lips and cocked his head slightly. After a moment, he nodded and leaned in to kiss her.

It was strange, on the sofa like this, a little uncomfortable because of the angle, so Amy slowly turned her body and put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. He pulled back just a little, probably in surprise, she thought, but she wasn't about to stop. She closed the short distance between them and applied her lips to his again. _Why was I so shy for so long? No wonder he left me. I never showed him how much I enjoyed this_. Amy tilted her head and shifted her lips, which brought an immediate reaction from Sheldon, as his arms reached for her.

_Now, this is romantic. Maybe I should -_

"Hey, Sheldon! The delivery man came while I was getting the mail and -"

Amy pushed Sheldon away, and, in so doing, ended up on the opposite end of the sofa. Leonard turned away from the key bowl to look at them, his hands full of Thai food. Amy smiled at him, probably too broadly, she realized too late, and started to twirl her hair.

"Um, okay," Leonard shook his head and deeply furrowed his bushy eyebrows. "That was weird. Hi, Amy, I didn't know you were coming early. Anyway, I've got the food. Everyone else should be here soon."

* * *

><p>". . . So then it occurred to me that maybe my original hypothesis was wrong and it was dopamine all along. It completely changed everything! I'm so excited at the direction this new study is taking!"<p>

_Amy is beautiful._ Sheldon started and tried to mentally shake the thought away. Where did that come from? Amy was a lot of things to him - brilliant, thoughtful, patient - but he valued her for her mind. _It__'__s beneath me to give into baser emotions based on my endocrine system. And surely Amy doesn__'__t want to be appreciated for some physical aspect she has no control over, something she just won in the lottery that is genetics. Right?_

But . . . but . . . standing there, her eyes glowing in excitement, her white lab coat making her look even more scholarly, her hair pulled back revealing more of her neck . . . Amy was beautiful.

"Amy, I . . . want to thank you for driving me home," he finished in a rush.

"Of course, Sheldon. You're welcome," she picked up an empty petri dish.

"I'll speak to Leonard about it. He cannot just keeping leaving early to go visit wedding venues, without thinking about your schedule."

"It's fine," Amy said. "I enjoy driving you home. It gives us more time together."

Something in the way she looked at him when she said that make him clutch the strap of his messenger bag even tighter. _Should I tell her now? In her lab? Is that a good place? She likes her lab._

"Uh . . . um . . .I . . . um," he licked his lips.

"Sheldon, what's wrong?" Amy took a step closer to him, concern on her face. "Do you feel unwell? There's a vicious cold virus going around. Do you have a fever?"

Her palm was on his forehead, and he felt certain he had a fever now. Everything in him, his mind, his body, his memory, flashed back to that moment on his living room floor floor two weeks ago. And last's week kiss.

Not even sure how it happened, he was kissing her. She seemed stiff at first, like she used to, but them she pressed against him and _oh boy! _He moved one of his hands up to her neck, her beautiful, fully exposed neck, and caressed it with his fingertips. She made some sort noise against his mouth and_ Holy mackerel!_

Then she made another noise, something more like a scream, and leapt away from him, dropping the petri dish. It shattered on the floor.

Almost instantaneously, another yelp came from the door of her lab, and Sheldon whipped around to see Howard standing there, holding his phone in one hand and clutching his chest in another.

"You just about gave me a heart attack with that scream!" Howard said.

"Well, you shouldn't walk into people's labs while texting! It's very frightening!" Amy retorted, her face bright red. "Who knows that you might have, uh, ran in to! Like a, a, a door!"

Howard narrowed his eyes and turned his head, looking back and forth from Amy to Sheldon. "Hmmm. Looks like you could use some help with that."

"I most certainly do not need help," Sheldon replied.

"Cleaning up the petri dish?" Howard pointed own to the glass shards on the floor. "And I was coming to ask you if you needed a ride home. I've been texting you."

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><p><strong><em>To be continued . . . Thank you in advance for your reviews!<em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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><p>The koala stared balefully at them, lazily munching on its eucalyptus leaf.<p>

"Did you know," Sheldon asked, "that koalas are hind gut fermenters, which means they can retain food in their digestive tracts for up to 100 hours in the wild and 200 hours in captivity? It's because their ceacum in the largest proportionally of any animal. They consciously select which food particles to retain and which to pass through. Also, they have a very low metabolic rate, so they don't need as much energy to be obtained from the fermentation of food."

Amy looked over at him. He was, of course, wearing his koala face and engrossed in watching the adorable creature that had perched so very close to them. If there hadn't been mesh fencing, they could have stroked its fur._ He looks so relaxed and happy. Sheldon, not the koala. Well, it does, too._

As a test, she reached over and took Sheldon's hand. He turned to look at her, his features shifting. She met his gaze and lifted her chin a bit. He didn't say anything, holding her eyes before turning his face back to watch the marsupial. But, _but! but!_, he didn't drop her hand. Instead, his fingers curled gently around her palm.

Amy's heart flopped about in her chest_. _At that moment, a woman and two young children walked behind them, and Amy gave them a smug smile. _Yep, that__'__s right, I__'__m here on a non-scheduled date, with my boyfriend, who is both a genius and sex on a stick, and he__'__s holding my hand!_ Amy squeezed his hand with joy, and, without looking away from the koala, he squeezed it back. She had to grip the fencing with her free hand.

"Be careful. Just because koalas tend to avoid wasting energy on aggression, it doesn't mean they can't bite," Sheldon warned. He didn't let go.

Amy dropped her hand from the fencing just as the family left the enclosure, leaving a hush in their wake. She quickly scanned the area and ascertained they were alone. _Should I tell him now? He loves it here, he would probably think it__'__s romantic. It__'__s quiet and peaceful._

"Sheldon?" she ventured.

"Yes?" he was still watching the creature.

"I thought I should . . ." in her nervousness she had tugged slightly on his hand, and he turned his entire body toward her, looking down at her. He didn't let go.

"Yes?" he asked again, and something in the way he said it made her catch her breath.

"I - I -" Losing her nerve to speak, she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, just a small peck.

"We're in public, Amy." But it wasn't the same warning voice he had just used. It was softer. And he didn't let go.

"But we're alone," she said. Brazenly, she stood on her tiptoes again, but didn't bring her face to his. She waited, her breath shallow.

This time, it was Sheldon who closed the gap, using his free arm to pull her waist close, and he kissed her, tiny kisses over and over and over before settling into one long kiss, angling his head, bringing their hands up, bending their elbows, rotating his palm, and then interlacing their fingers. Then, with such a slender margin she might have missed it if she hadn't been concentrating so hard on feeling this, _this!_, he parted his lips over hers -

"Hey, I think there is one really close to the fence over there, let's go!"

Sheldon and Amy snapped apart and toward the koala again, both of them crossing their arms and resting their chins on their thumbs. They didn't even realize they were standing in the same position.

"Sheldon? Amy? Is that you?"

They both turned around in unison, very slowly, to see Stuart.

"Hi, guys," he said. "Didn't think I'd see anyone here I knew."

"Hello," they said in unison, both monotone.

"Okaaay. Guess you guys are really into koalas," he shrugged. "Anyway, I won't bother you. But this is my nephew, Jack."

For the first time, Amy noticed the presence of a boy at Stuart's side.

"Hello, Jack, nice to meet you," Amy said. _That sounded fake and unfriendly. Get it together, Amy!_

"Yea, so, I guess I'll leave you two to it, them," Stuart shrugged again and walked away.

* * *

><p>" . . . So, that is my opinion of the first three episodes of <em>The Flash.<em> Tea? We still have plenty of time before the movie." Sheldon got up out of his spot and walked toward the kitchen.

"Wow, that was thorough," Amy replied.

"You disagree with my summation?" Sheldon turned to Amy, walking behind him. "You asked."

"A half-hour ago."

Sheldon filled the kettle._ Is that sarcasm? I think it might be. Well, why did she ask, then?_

"Sheldon, I was thinking about Date Night," Amy said, and he noticed that she was tracing the edge of the island with her index finger.

"What about it?"

"I, um, well, I was thinking maybe we could move it to, uh, well, every week."

"Sure."

"Sure?"

_Why does Amy sound so surprised? She is being difficult tonight._ "Is that not the answer you wanted?"

"Sheldon. I want you to want it, too." She said in that way he had noticed her saying things occasionally since he had returned, with more force and resolve in her voice.

He took the missing step between them, so close he could feel the heat from her body. "I do want it. I actually was going to propose a change to the Relationship Agreement on our next Date Night. It seems like it was already happening, organically. This is the fifth week in a row you've been here, like this."

"Like this?" Amy asked.

"Yes," he leaned down. "Alone."

"Alone," she whispered.

He kissed her, gently, a mere brush against her lips.

"Kissing," he whispered.

"Kissing," she mouthed back, mutely.

He looked at her a moment, staring into her eyes. _Odd, I__'__ve always known they were green, but I never noticed how they glow._ He kissed her, one petite kiss, followed by another. He had noticed last week, at the zoo, how she seemed to like that. He angled his face more. He had noticed, three weeks ago on the sofa, that he liked that more. He separated his lips slightly, and Amy's arms were on his waist this time, pulling him closer. _Okay, she liked that. _Quivering at the strangeness of it all, he barely touched her bottom lip with his tongue. She moaned - moaned! no denying what the sound was now - and opened her mouth. He pulled away.

Amy kept her arms around and just looked at him, her face shining. _Should I tell her now? She looks very happy._

Before he could speak, Amy had pulled him back, and this time, he didn't pull away when she opened her mouth. He let her use her tongue to trace the contour of his bottom lip, and he tasted the unmistakable lingering mintiness of mouthwash._ I_ _can do this! It__'__s Amy, her oral hygiene is just as good as mine-_ and then, without warning, her tongue was in his mouth. _Oh boy! oh boy! _Working with an instinct he didn't know he had, he started grazing her tongue with his. _This isn__'__t so bad at all!_ He heard the kettle start whistling, but he didn't want to stop._ I don__'__t have to stop! The water droplets will evaporate into the air. Physics!_ Their tongues were tentatively mingling, first slowly, unevenly, but then he found something like a rhythm, a stroking motion of sorts that Amy seemed to follow effortlessly. He didn't know which was louder, the tea kettle or the rushing in his ears.

A knock at the door severed them. Like The Flash he had just been discussing, Sheldon ran to grab the kettle and sit on the island, on top of the waiting trivet, and grabbed a tea bag from the open caddy.

"Hey," Raj's face appeared around the door, "is everything okay in here? I could hear the kettle on the stairs."

"We're fine, thank you," Sheldon said. _Why is he here?_ "I'm . . . uh . . . just showing Amy how to make the perfect cup of tea." He could hear her breathing heavily next to him, but he refused to look at her."You have to be careful when you lift the flap because of the perforations. You want to tear it along the perforations because that will make the tag -"

"Sheldon, I'm pretty sure Amy knows how to open a tea bag," Raj said. "Are you guys okay? You both look hot or something."

"It's the tea," Amy said. "It's very hot. That's all."

"But you haven't poured any tea yet," Raj said.

"We have superior minds, Raj. We're imagining," Sheldon said.

* * *

><p>"Amy? What brings you over?" Sheldon looked up from his desk after she knocked on his office door.<p>

She walked toward his desk. "I think we should talk about something and I thought it would be . . . safer if we did it here."

"This is highly irregular, but go on," Sheldon answered. "Do we need to shut the door?"

_Is it my imagination or did he just swallow? Is he nervous? _Amy shook her head. "No, let's leave it open. It seems . . . wiser."

Sheldon got up from his chair and came to stand in front of his whiteboard, crossing his arms. _He__'__s preparing himself to defend his position on something. Oh, I__'__ve started this all wrong_. "Sheldon, I'm not angry at you. This isn't even really a disagreement, I think. It's about Raj."

"Raj?"

"Um, yes. Well, it's about what happened last week, when we were making tea and Raj . . ." she let the sentence die.

"Oh, yes." Sheldon blushed. "Tonight's Date Night. We can talk about this tonight."

"No, again, I think it's safer to do it here," Amy said. _Because every time I see you now, I only want to kiss you. Or tell you something important, which usually leads to me kissing you instead._ "I'm concerned about what he thinks."

Sheldon shrugged. "I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No. Why do I care what Raj thinks of what you and I may or may not being doing when we're alone? You are my girlfriend, after all. And he showed up unannounced. Just because we don't walk into the living room and announce every new physical step in our relationship to everyone - wait!" Sheldon's brow furrowed. "Do you want everyone to know? Or at least those chatterboxes you call your friends?"

"No. I mean, maybe. No yet, I think. That's not it. Really. I came over here because I thought you were upset about it."

"No, not at all. Why?"

"Because you haven't texted me all day. I thought you were getting cold feet before our Date Night tonight."

"I did text you. I sent you our contractually obligated I'm-awake-and-not-ill text this morning."

"But you haven't texted me on just contractually obligated times since, since, since . . ."

"The first Date Night after I returned," Sheldon said. Then he sighed. "Yes, you're right. I've just been very busy today. Kripke is driving me crazy, I've got this new equation that doesn't seem right, and class this morning was awful. But it doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you."

The tension in Amy's heart melted away.

"Amy, I . . ." he didn't finish his sentence, he just kept looking down at her, practically boring into her eyes.

_I should tell him. It's not romantic here, really, but the way he's looking at me. And maybe it's good here, like a controlled environment, he wouldn't get too crazy here, in his office, would he, just in case he reacts poorly?_

"Sheldon, I -" Then she took a step, and, before she stopped herself, her hands were on his biceps and she was pushing him backwards, kissing him. He put his hands on her waist, and, _Jesus, I think he__'__s really good at this._ It wasn't slow and tentative this time, it was full of force and - _passion! yes, that__'__s it!_

"Hey, Cooper, did you -"

Amy snapped away, practically falling backwards, knocking something over on the corner of his desk. Sheldon wiped around, studying his white board.

"-get that email I sent you yesterday? Oh, hey, Amy, I didn't know you were here," Barry Kripke said. "Time for a little afternoon delight?"

Amy dropped the markers she had just picked up, certain that her face was the same shade as a fire engine.

Kripke laughed. "Whoa there, I was just joking. You don't have to be so up tight. So, the email Cooper? You still haven't replied."

"It takes a long time to compose an email using only one syllable words. I'll get it to you," Sheldon answered without turning around, his shoulders hunched. _Why is he hiding from Kripke? Why won__'__t he turn around? Oh, oh!, maybe I'm the one who is really good at this!_

"Well, if you're missing the rest of that equation, it appears to be on the back of your shirt," Kripke chuckled on the way out. "Later, lovers."

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><p><em><strong>AN: I tried, repeatedly, to write Kripke's dialogue phonetically, but it was extremely difficult and almost certainly <strong>_**_incorrect. Given my concern that it may just sound offensive, I decided to not include it here. Sorry._**

_**Thank you for your reviews!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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><p>Knock, knock, knock. "Amy."<p>

Knock, knock, knock. "Amy."

Knock, knock, knock. "Amy."

She opened the door. "Sheldon? Did we have plans?"

"No," he answered. "May I come in?"

"Okay." She stepped aside and allowed him to pass.

He paced, one path toward her kitchen and then back again. _Okay, I__'__m here, how should I do it? I should have thought this through._

"Sheldon, is something wrong?" He couldn't miss the quiver in her voice. _Oh, right, the last time I showed up here unannounced . . ._

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Maybe we should sit down."

"Okay. Um, I should tell you I have plans this morning. I'm going out to brunch with the girls." But Amy came and sat next to him, in their usual spots. _Oh, this is a bad idea, too, the last time we sat like this . . ._

"It's about what happened in my office Thursday," he started. "I - I can't stop thinking about it."

Amy smiled. "Me neither." Then she took his hand. He pulled it away, and the look on her face stabbed him. _Oh, that look, the last time she gave me that look . . ._

"I'm sorry. I just can't touch you while I say this. What happened Thursday was a mistake. We shouldn't let it happen again."

"Kissing is a mistake? You weren't upset on Date Night that evening. We kissed again." Her voice sounded even more uneasy.

_No, I wasn__'__t upset. All I wanted was your mouth. I was . . . dear Lord, I was horny._ "I was preoccupied on Date Night. And it's not that the kiss was a mistake, Amy. It was the location. When I returned to work yesterday, I was terrified of seeing Kripke. I'm just saying we can't let it happen at work again. My office, your lab, any where like that. It's unprofessional."

Amy nodded slowly. "Yes, you're right. It is unprofessional. We're professional adults, leaders in our fields. We ought to be able to control ourselves."

"Yes, exactly! You understand!" He reached for her hand in relief. _Amy always understands me. Maybe I should tell her now._

"So, a reset: kissing only on Date Nights again?" Amy asked.

"Ye . . . How about only in our apartments, when we're alone? We'll be very strict."

"Agreed," Amy nodded. "You'll update The Relationship Agreement?"

"Of course." He looked at her. She looked at him. He found his thumb encircling the knuckle of her index finger. They both looked down at this movement. _What is about this circular motion over this little raised bump that is so erotic?_

"Sheldon," Amy whispered, already slightly breathless, "we're in my apartment . . ."

". . . Alone," he answered.

He wasn't surprised at how quickly she managed to shift closer to him on the sofa, turned around so she could kiss him, almost immediately lapping at his lips with her tongue even as she raised herself up on her knees. It was strange for Amy to be taller than him, bending down to kiss him, _but I like it!_ Reaching for her waist, as he was used to doing, he misjudged the distance and found his hands firmly planted on her posterior.

"Hoot!" Amy said into his mouth.

Sheldon pushed her way. "Amy, I'm sorry. I -"

Amy reached down, grabbed one of his hands, and practically smacked it back onto her hind end. Once again, her mouth took his, sucking all of the air out of him. _Well, I guess. _He brought his other hand up, and allowed them to cup her buttocks. _In for a penny . . ._ he gave an experimental squeeze, enjoying the mild bounce beneath her skirt.

"Hooooot!"

For the third time that week something ran through his body, starting in his pelvis and running to his busy lips. But this time it was racing. He allowed himself to caresses her bottom, enjoying its shape and size. _Maybe this is too much, on the sofa like this, what if she straddles me, what if -_

Knock, knock.

Amy jumped back. "Coming!" She yelled, smoothing her hair with her hand.

It flashed through Sheldon's mind that he should run to the bathroom or somewhere - _anywhere else! _- but Amy's hand was almost on the door knob. He grabbed a pillow instead.

"Hi, Amy!" Bernadette said cheerfully as the door opened. "Are you ready - Sheldon?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Sheldon just waved.

"Is he coming with us?"

"No," Amy giggled, but it sounded fake to Sheldon. "He just stopped by to, uh, talk."

"Are you okay?" Bernadette asked. "You seem out of breath. And your lips are red."

"It's my new lip gloss. And Sheldon said something funny about it, and I laughed. That's why he's here, to see my lip gloss."

"Sheldon's giving make-up advice now?" Bernadette wrinkled her nose. "Well, okay. Are you ready?"

"Yep, let's go," Amy grabbed her purse off the bookshelf.

But Bernadette didn't move. "What about Sheldon?"

"Sheldon? What about him?"

"Isn't he leaving?"

Sheldon felt like he was watching a farce of his life, played out before him, and he was unable to participate. Mostly because he couldn't speak. And he certainly couldn't move the pillow off of his lap._ Please, Amy, please, _he silently begged.

"What? Leaving? No," Amy giggled again. "He, uh, has something he is going to take care of. I mean do, not take care of. For me, not for himself. Well, obviously for me. Not because of me, just, uh . . . Yes, something in my apartment. Which is where he is right now. He'll just lock the door the way out, right, Sheldon? Just like you have dozens of times before?"

They both turned to look at him. He smiled and raised his thumb in an "a-okay" motion.

"You guys are so weird," Bernadette mumbled on her way out the door.

* * *

><p>Sheldon opened the door to her knock as quickly as she expected.<p>

"Hello, Sheldon."

"Amy, right on time."

"Punctuality is one of my strengths." She sat her purse down in her usual location, next to the key bowl.

"Yes, it's one of the things I love about you."

Amy was absolutely certain her heart stopped beating, just before the butterfly invaded her stomach. She turned to look at Sheldon, but he had already moved to the center of the living room concentrating on the television screen. He seemed oblivious to what he had just said. Her heart resumed its beating, but it felt duller and located somewhere around her stomach._ Oh, he didn__'__t mean it. It was just a figure of speech._

_No, no, I will not be a defeatist. He has been so . . . kind lately._ Even though she was still wasn't convinced Sheldon realized what he had said, Amy straightened her shoulders, determined to take solace in the fact that he had invited her over tonight, because Date Night was cancelled tomorrow in observance of Thanksgiving.

"Thank you for the invitation, Sheldon. It's very kind of you considering it's Retro Video Game Night."

He looked over at her, dropping the hands he had just started to raise. Amy noticed he was holding what appeared to be a small, toy bow with an abnormally long string. "You know you're not staying for the games, right? You are still attending Girls Night across the hall once Howard and Bernadette arrive."

Another thump in her stomach. Why did Sheldon have to be so rude? "Yes, I know you didn't invite me for video games. Just to come over early for a bit."

He smiled. "Good."

Amy looked around, debating whether or not this was a battle._ No, not with a smile like that. _"Where's Leonard?"

"I hid his back-up inhaler, so he went the pharmacy to fill a replacement. We're alone." He reached behind him as though taking something off of his back and then stretched out his arms to hold the bow upright.

"Sheldon, that's cruel!"

Sheldon dropped his arms again, and looked at her for a moment. Then he sighed deeply. "You may be right. I just wanted to be alone before my friends got here."

More butterflies. Amy walked closer to him. "You wanted us to be alone?"

"Well, yes. I thought we could play a game."

"Play a game, huh?" she smirked.

"No, not that! Every time we do that someone walks in on us!"

The smirk plummeted into her stomach. "Oh."

"My friends will be here in an hour and Leonard will probably be back before that. I don't like being interrupted, it's embarrassing. Besides," he shrugged, "I like you for your mind more than your lips. Let's talk and play a game."

This time it was rabble of butterflies. _It__'__s a wonder I don__'__t get motion sickness from the roller coaster ride that is dating Sheldon. _She nodded and smiled. "I like you for your mind, too, Sheldon. You're right. Let's play a game." She looked over at the console. "Since when is the Wii retro?"

"Since 2011. Duh."

"Can I play?"

"I don't know if you have the skill set for Wii Archery."

"Please. Penny and I play the skiing game, and I always beat her. But I'm more than just a beckoning pair of hips with a low center of gravity, you know. I'm sure I have the hand-eye coordination for this silly little game."

"Amy! Retro it may be, but silly it is not! And you don't have the proper gear. You need a grip and a quiver and there's a safety course and I have to teach you -"

Amy grabbed the bow out of his hand._ Honestly, no matter how much I love him he can be so annoying!_ Her sudden movement stopped him in the middle of his sentence. Positioning her self in front of the television, she pulled back on the string and fired.

"Ten!," the game announced when she hit a bullseye.

Then, quickly, she did it again. "Ten!" Once more. "Ten!"

She put the bow down then and looked at Sheldon's priceless face. "You were saying?"

Finally, he closed his drooping mouth and spoke. "Beginner's luck. And your form is terrible."

"Oh, is it? Because I believe I just got three bulls eyes in a row." Amy knew her temper was rising, and, even though she realized it was silly to get worked up about a video game, Sheldon was just so infuriating!

"For starters, you're at the wrong angle. You need to be," he moved quickly behind her and grabbed her hips, swiveling them slightly, "like this."

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than Amy heard him take a deep breath. He stood frozen, kneeling down to her, not moving his hands, and she felt his eyes boring into her skull as she turned her head to look at him on the edge of her visual field.

"Um, yes, perhaps you're right," Amy whispered back. "What else?"

She heard Sheldon gulp before he released her hips. "Well, if you had a grip, you'd be wearing it here."

He reached around her to run his fingers along her arm to her hand.

"And you need a quiver. Here." He ran his hand down her back, at an angle, and then ran his entire palm back up the trajectory. Amy's body trembled slightly at the new type of contact.

"And your arm needs to extend straighter." He pressed himself close to her back, and gently pulled her arm, and thus the bow, out straight in front of her. He kept his hand there, over hers.

"And your hair seems to be in the way." He was whispering now, too, as he took his other hand and pulled her hair away from her ear and her neck. Now that her ear was fully exposed, the feeling of his hot breath skimming it made her weak in the knees.

"And you need to pull your other hand all the way back, as far as you can." Reaching around her, engulfing her in his long frame, he took her right hand and pulled it back, the string stretching almost as taut as Amy felt. She could smell him, the clean scent of a waterfall.

"And then you need to adjust your head so your eye is in the perfect line of sight." Although Amy didn't think it was possible, he moved in even closer until his check was flush with hers. "Like this."

"Yes, like this," Amy whispered.

"Do you feel it?" he asked.

Amy had no idea to which it he was referring. She felt them all: her heart thundering, her knees shaking, her hands trembling, her body pulsing with arousal, the softness of Sheldon's skin, the hardness of Sheldon's . . . "Yes, I feel it." She took a deep breath. "Sheldon, there's something I've been trying to say-"

He only had to turn his head a fraction of an inch and his lips were almost brushing her cheek, making her mind hazy. "Um . . ."

"Hey, guys, guess what I brought!" The sound of the door opening and Raj's voice interjected into their moment, and Sheldon jumped away from her, leaving her cold. "It's a fondue pot!"

Amy quickly released the string on the bow controller before stretching it out again.

"Do you ever knock?" Sheldon said brusquely.

"Dude, we never knock, none of us. Especially when we're expected," Raj answered. "I came early to make the fondue."

Not paying attention, Amy rapidly shot the bow two more times. _We__'__re just playing a game, that__'__s all._

"Uh, Amy, don't you know it doesn't keep score if you've got it paused?" Raj asked.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Sheldon, I'm leaving," Leonard said.<p>

"I can tell when you're leaving. You don't have to announce it every time," Sheldon replied adjusting the video camera on the tripod.

"I know. It's just that I'm so happy to be leaving you, I can't stop talking about it," Leonard smiled and opened the door to find Amy standing there. "Oh, hi, Amy. I think he's all ready for you."

"Wouldn't you be?" Amy asked.

Leonard shook his head and walked out the door. "Uh, sure. You two kids have fun."

Sheldon looked up at Amy, standing just inside the door, wearing a long rain coat. "I think the better question is are you ready for me. This may be strenuous and require several attempts."

"Oh, you have no idea how long I've been ready for you."

"I would estimate forty-five minutes maximum and that's with heavy traffic on your drive over. Let's see what you came up with." Amy rolled her eyes (_why?_) and removed her raincoat, exposing the black and white French maid's outfit, like the one he wore a few years ago. Sheldon suddenly felt very, very warm. "Don't you think that's a stereotype? I said authentic. Millions of people in France will probably watch this episode."

"Your outfit isn't stereotypical? And it was either this or a can-can dancer." She put her hands on her hips, which somehow increased the temperature in the room even more.

Sheldon swallowed. "For your information, both pieces of my attire are authentic. The sailor shirt is called the marinère, and it was first worn by French seaman in Brittany in the 1820s. In 1858, it was made part of the official French naval uniform and is still worn by those men today. And the beret originates with Navarrian shepherds who lived in Pyrenees, and the first commercial production of berets was in Oloran-Sainte-Marie in the 17th century."

"I looked it up. My costume is based on housemaid's black and white afternoon uniform in 19th century France."

_I highly doubt they were that short. Or that . . . _ But, not wanting to give up several uninterrupted hours in which to film, Sheldon gave in. "Very well. But if we get any hate comments about it, I reserve the right to say I told you so."

"Agreed." The look she gave him was full of defiance and strength, he realized. He liked it; Amy lately was reminding him of the Amy he first met, so strong and blunt. What had changed? And why was it now changing back again? But not exactly the same. Old hard Amy, newer soft but not weak Amy, so . . . so confusing . . . and captivating.

"Sheldon?"

_Oh, yes, the present._ "I was just remembering I need your help with my mustache."

Amy laughed. "A mustache?"

"Well, if you're going to be stereotypical, I will be, too," Sheldon said, moving to stand in front of the sofa and picking the make-up crayon off the end table. "Will you draw it, please?"

Another laugh, and she came to him, taking the offering pencil. "You'll have to lean down for me to do this properly."

Sheldon nodded and leaned down. Amy leaned in some, too, and he felt the crayon touch his lip. He watched her carefully, as she concentrated on her task, not looking at his eyes. _Fascinating. I__'__ve never been this close to Amy without . . . _He mentally shook the thought away. _No, we__'__ve given into hormones and our hind brains too much lately. Today is about our video._

Then Amy gave a satisfied smile at her handiwork, before moving her emerald eyes up to meet his. "There."

"You've memorized your lines?" Sheldon asked, standing up swiftly. _This is impossible._

"Of course. If you'd like, we can rehearse once, before we start taping."

Even though Sheldon asked her every time, he always knew she had memorized her lines. It was just one of those things that he knew he could count on when it came to Amy. So, normally, he refused her offer to rehearse. He viewed this little conversation as their standard warm-up. But, feeling slightly light-headed and still so very warm, he changed his mind. "Yes, let's rehearse."

She smiled at him again, making it feel even worse. _Or is it better? _He swallowed again, and turned toward the camera, even though it wasn't taping yet. "Bonjour, je suis Docteur Sheldon Cooper. Bienvenue à Sheldon Cooper Presents Fun with Flags."

"Et je suis Docteur Amy Farrah Fowler. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes en train d'apprendre au sujet du drapeau français."

"Amy, j'ai besoin de . . . " He had turned back toward her, speaking without thinking.

"Oui?" The single word snapped through him. _Why am I still speaking French? Why did I break form? And why is her mouth so alluring, the way her lips form such a simple yet foreign sound?_

Her lips, her lips, her lips. His lips took control of the rest of his body, his lips only wanting to touch hers. His hands were apparently in league with his lips, and they did not stay on her waist. Once he realized they were on the small of her back, pulling her closer, he froze for just a second. Until she murmured something into his mouth that sounded vaguely like "ouiiii," and this caused hands slipped down more, betraying him further, and he realized the black fabric of this little - so very little - costume was much thinner than the fabric of her skirt from several weeks ago. And much shorter as a fingertip brushed the hem. _Oh, oui, indeed -_

"Sorry! Forgot my inhaler!" Sheldon recoiled from Amy as Leonard skirted the end of the room at a swift pace.

"Leonard, you should knock!"

"I live here!" Leonard's voice rang from his bedroom before he came jogging back into the living room holding his inhaler.

"But we're filming! You've ruined this take!"

"Um. . . you'd have to retake it, anyway," Leonard grinned, moving toward the door.

"Why?" Sheldon's heart was thumping, wondering exactly how much Leonard had seen.

"Because the red light isn't on. And you've both got something smeared on your faces. Have fun!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thank you for your reviews!<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p><em>Spider-Man<em> was not Amy's favorite movie, of course, but she found it more tolerable than most of Sheldon's super hero movies. She sat down next to him in their spots on his sofa to watch it and reached for his hand.

She couldn't help but notice the tension in his fingers, how he didn't curl his hand around hers, and then he pulled it away.

"Sheldon?" She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"We're watching a movie, Amy. Not kissing," he answered.

"I know we're watching a movie. And I wasn't kissing you."

Sheldon's only reply was a sigh. Amy did not understand what was happening. "Do you not want to kiss me anymore?"

"No, Amy, that's not it. I just don't want to hold your hand right now, that's all." He wasn't even looking at her, he just kept watching he opening credits of the movie.

Amy watched him, ignoring her, a torrent brewing inside of her. Holding hands with Sheldon had always been confusing. He had initiated it, during Howard's launch, and agreed to add hand-holding at the movies to the Relationship Agreement after that, but then he always acted like it was a chore. The old Amy, the before-Sheldon-left-me Amy, had accepted his eye rolls and snide comments as the price to pay for this snippet of physical affection. However, once he returned from his journey, he had seemed more at ease with hand-holding. He took her hand himself, occasionally, when they kissed. And there had been that surprisingly erotic moment in her apartment that one morning, which gave her great hope for his skills in the future. So what was happening now?

The new Amy, the I'm-not-going-to-let-things-fester Amy, reached over to the coffee table, picked up the remote, and paused the movie. "Sheldon, do you not like holding my hand? Be honest."

He turned toward her. "Honestly, it's not my favorite."

It was like a kick to her gut._ No, this is good. We__'__re talking about it. _"But you do it. At the movies, and sometimes when we kiss. And you did at the zoo, even before we were kissing."

"I do it at the movies because you like it. I did it at the zoo because I was happy, and I thought it probably wouldn't last very long. I do it sometimes when we kiss because . . . " he shrugged, ". . . I don't know, it feels different then, like part of something else. During a movie it takes too long, it just ends up feeling sweaty and gross. There's a lot of bacteria in a movie theater, and it's bound to be transferred to our hands and then to each other."

Amy almost laughed with relief._ All along, I was trying to read some sort of deep physiological meaning into this, and it__'__s just about his phobia of germs! And, all along, Sheldon was trying to push that aside to hold my hand because I like it! And he doesn__'__t think kissing is gross! _For a man who demanded logic in all things, that made no sense. Kissing shared far more germs than hand-holding, right? But she wasn't about to point this out to him.

"What is your favorite?" she boldly asked.

"At the movies? Red Vines, you know that."

"No, Sheldon, I mean . . . with me."

He blinked, very slowly, twice. "Talking to you. About science. Or your day. Or movies. Or . . . anything."

Her heart thundered._ I should tell him now. This is a good time. I__'__ve put this off too long._ She opened her mouth to speak.

"You can lean against me, if you want. Like you did that time at Best Buy. I didn't mind that. It was nice," Sheldon offered.

She only made a squeak of surprise. Stunned by this new overture, she nodded. Sheldon grinned, took the remote from her, and turned the movie back on, straightening in his spot. Amy tentatively leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. _I didn__'__t noticed how soft his tee shirt was that day. _

However, it quickly got uncomfortable, with her left arm pinned between them. With uncertainly, she snaked her arm around his, resting her hand on the crook of his elbow, not touching his skin, just his under tee shirt. He turned his head to look at her.

"Is this okay?" she whispered, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. He nodded and turned back to the movie. Smiling with contentment, Amy settled in deeper, holding him tighter, curling her legs up on the sofa.

She was only half-watching the movie, the rest of her mind working on other thoughts, when Spider-Man and Mary Jane kissed. She perked up, remembering how hot she thought that kiss looked the first time she had watched this movie. For the rest of the movie, she thought about that kiss.

"Yes, Toby Maguire is definitely the better Spider-Man. Although I prefer the second movie because Doc Oc is a better villain," Sheldon said as the movie finished. His shifting for the remote had taken him away from her, and she used the opportunity to stretch her stiff body.

"Sure," Amy replied. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Coming out the bathroom, she saw Sheldon still sitting in his spot, reading a comic book. Inspired by the movie, she walked behind the sofa. He twisted in his spot, "Amy, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Read your comic book."

He didn't look convinced and kept his eyebrows raised. But, eventually, he did turn back around. Taking a deep breath, Amy leaned over him from above. Just as she was thinking this was going to be harder than it looked, Sheldon tilted his head back making for a smoother trajectory.

Pressing his lips with hers, it occurred to her this was, indeed, much harder than it looked. A part of her brain wondered if it had to do with visual cues, that the brain was addled by the lack of familiar landmarks when everything was upside down like this. But most of her brain focused on Sheldon's supple lips. After a few gentle kisses, Amy started sucking on his top lip, urging him to open his mouth. He did, but they are not aligned properly and she had to lean down even more. Her hair fell forward, and she reached down to put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. This is very different._ I thought we were good at this, but this . . ._ To be honest, Amy wasn't sure if she liked it. It felt disorganized, backwards. In her confusion, she started to slide her hands down, gliding over Sheldon's chest, which she found surprisingly, well, solid. She swirled her hands there, softly. He moaned into her mouth, and w_ow! this just got a lot better _and -

The door flew open and Amy, without thinking why, ducked behind the sofa.

"Hey, what's the new wifi password?" Penny said.

"Ask Leonard!" Sheldon yelled.

Crouched down behind the sofa, Amy could clearly see the half of Penny not obscured by the door, and she knew that Penny could clearly see her if she turned to look. _Please, please, don__'__t look. I can__'__t explain this._

"Geez, calm down. Leonard went out to pick up some dinner. Hey, where's Amy? I thought this was date night."

"She's . . . in the bathroom. And it's evenengagedwomenneedtogettheirownwifi, no spaces." It wasn't a yell, but Amy thought it still sounded too loud.

"Thanks. And tell Ames I said hi." Amy let a breath out as the door started to close. Just as she was about to stand back up, the door opened widely again.

"Are you okay, Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"Yes!" He yelled it again.

"Because you don't seem okay. You seem even weirder than usual, and that's saying something. And why are you sitting like that? It doesn't look comfortable."

_How is Sheldon sitting?_ Amy wondered, her legs aching from crouching down in such a strange fashion. _Oh, yes._

Then Penny started laughing. _No, no, no,_ Amy thought. "Sweetie, if you've got a little problem, you should just go tell Amy -"

"Penny!"

" - to hurry up in the bathroom so you can pee."

* * *

><p>"It was so exhausting, Amy. It was like explaining something to a child." Sheldon gave a deep sigh and took a drink of his tea.<p>

"Well, at least it sounds like he finally understood," Amy replied, from across the island.

"Yes, but it took far too long. I actually had to dig out my original lease agreement; it was like Leonard didn't believe that I lived here first and the lease is in my name. As though he'd forgotten how he came to live here and how he's been writing his rent check to me every month for years."

"So, Leonard is moving in with Penny and you're staying here."

Amy sounded subdued when she said that. In fact, she had seemed uninterested in this entire conversation, which wasn't like her at all. She had commiserated with his predicament, as he had hoped, but she seemed . . . like she was pretending not to be something. Suddenly, Sheldon realized how selfish he had been. _The last time we talked about this, I left._ Silence fell without Amy asking what his plans for the apartment were, and he knew that proved his theory. She was frightened. She was purposely not offering an opinion or any suggestions.

Sheldon shifted uncomfortably on his stool. What should I say? He'd felt guilty for only nodding that day she had been so honest and even apologized to him, their first Date Night after he returned, so many months ago. But he'd been too unsure to say anything that day, and every week that went by it had become easier not to say anything. Amy seemed to be content. But now remorse washed over him again. This is exactly what he had promised himself he would not do when he returned.

"Amy, it wasn't your fault," he said it in a rush. She physically jumped. She was even more on edge than he thought. "I was overwhelmed by so many things, but mostly work. It was too much, all at once, I just had to leave. But it wasn't because of you or anything you said. I'm sorry, Amy. I'm sorry I ever allowed you think it was your fault. I'm sorry you felt you had to apologize, and I'm sorry I allowed you to do so."

She looked down and ran her finger along the edge of the island. "I shouldn't have said it. I was pushing you too hard."

"I understand now that you were just trying to be helpful by offering suggestions." He felt incredibly uncomfortable, discussing his emotions like this. But he also felt relief. _I should be talking to Amy like this all the time, being honest with her, not holding back. It__'__s one of the things I admire most in her, after all_. He took another deep breath. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you right way. I'm sorry I held back."

Her smile when she looked up eased his discomfort. "Apology accepted. Let's not hold back anymore. Agreed?"

"Agreed." _Now I have to tell her. Today. I have to tell her today. But not here, at the island, like this. Later, when we__'__re closer._

"What are you going to do?" Amy asked.

"Nothing. I'll live here alone. I lived successfully on my own for six weeks this summer. And my door locks, so I don't have to worry about a hobo stealing my pants this time. I'm going to embrace change."

"Embrace change?" Amy's eyebrows rose.

"Yes. Do you doubt my ability? I've embraced change with you."

Amy nodded across from him. "You're right. You have."

"Of course I'm right." He stood. "Are you done with your tea? I'm certain I spied some new Counter Factual cards."

"Right again. I'll get them." Amy hopped up, Sheldon taking her mug from her, placing it next to his own in the dishwasher. Before turning around, he took a deep breath._ I__'__m going to walk to the sofa and sit in my spot next to Amy. I__'__m going to tell her. Tonight._ He straightened up, gathered his courage, and turned around.

Except Amy was sitting in his spot. It made him feel uneasy, like that odd tingling you get when you feel someone staring at you.

"Amy, what are you doing?" He felt liking he was speaking in slow motion and walking toward her felt heavy, like walking in a swimming pool.

"Helping you embrace change."

"Uh, uh . . . uh . . ." He had finally made it to her, but he could no longer speak.

"Using classical conditioning."

He swallowed. "Classical conditioning?"

"Also called Pavlovian conditioning. I'm sure you're aware of the learning technique."

"Yes," he licked his lips._ Science will save me! _"Pavlovian conditioning is a type of respondent conditioning in which learning occurs because a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. After the pairing is repeated, the test subject exhibits a conditioned response to the unconditioned stimulus."

"Correct. Although, sometimes, learning can occur after only one pairing attempt. If the unconditioned stimulus is strong enough."

Sheldon nodded, and took another step closer. "I presume my adverse reaction to others sitting in my spot is the conditioned stimulus?"

"Correct," she said, her face serious and unreadable as he looked down at her, her knees touching his shins.

"And the unconditioned stimulus?"

She reached for his shirts, pulling him down, startling him, and he was forced to brace his fall on the cushions on either side of her.

"Amy-" and he was silenced by her mouth, almost immediately finding entry with her tongue. Quite stimulating, indeed. He leaned into her, her head falling back against the cushion, bringing one hand up to run through her hair. She moaned into his mouth, and _stimulation is not strong enough a word! _he edged his way lower and sideways, ending up with one knee next to her and the other near an alarmingly intimate location.

He started to push away in embarrassment or terror or something, but Amy pulled him back in.

"I'm conducting a very important experiment here," she ordered.

Not one to argue to with a strong woman giving him a command, Sheldon pushed her back further, gingerly putting one hand one her stomach, feeling the warmth of her cardigan. Another moan and -

"Amy, there you are!"

Sheldon pushed himself backwards, hitting the coffee table with his foot, sending Counter Factual cards flying. He landed in the white chair before meeting Bernadette's face.

"What are you two up to?"

"Playing Counter Factuals," Amy said. She picked up card and started fanning herself with it.

Sheldon would have sold his soul for a pillow.

"Why are you fanning yourself like that? And why is Sheldon sitting there?" Bernadette put her hands on her hips.

"Funny you should ask. It's just that Sheldon's answer was so . . . funny. I was laughing really hard, I mean, long, I mean, hard. And he's embracing-"

"Change! Yep, the only thing I'm embracing is change. Lots of embracing of change. Only change." Sheldon clamped his mouth shut. Why did he speak? Now Bernadette was looking straight at him!

"Amy, both Penny and I have been texting you. We're across the hall and we thought you'd like to join us. Penny said it wasn't Date Night."

"No, no, it's not Date Night. It's just, um, Sheldon wanted to talk-"

"About Amy's new game of Counter Factuals!" _Drat! I did it again!_

"Well, anyway, we're over at Penny's if you change you mind."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Thank you very much for your reviews!<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>Amy turned off the television with a long respire. The sound of those grating voices had been driving her crazy for over thirty minutes. But now Leonard and Penny had left, and she was looking forward to a quiet evening with her boyfriend. It occurred to her she should have brought the ingredients to make him spaghetti and hot dogs, and she regretted not thinking of it before. Poor Sheldon.<p>

Poor Sheldon. It had turned out to be a rough afternoon with the other couple. Somehow the discussion had turned to Leonard's impending move, and before long Sheldon and Leonard were bickering like the proverbial old married couple. Amy had chosen to tactfully leave her mouth shut. Sheldon had already explained to her the agreement he had designed and worked out with Leonard, and she had already shared her opinion that was skewed in Leonard's favor. How much a burden could it be to drive Sheldon to a workplace and hobby store he was going to himself anyway? But Sheldon had continued forward with this plan, to which Leonard agreed, although she knew he had thought about what she said because he brought it up the next day, saying perhaps she was right but "it's only temporary."

"Only temporary." What did that mean? Amy was trying, so very hard, since that moment, not to let her heart run away with her mouth, and the best way to accomplish that was silence.

So when Penny had turned on some sort of horrid reality television show, complaining to her about the argument, Amy had nodded but didn't watch the show. Instead, she had strained her ears to hear the heated conversation from the kitchen.

Now, though, there was only the soft sounds of Sheldon making tea and his mellow steps as he brought her signature yellow mug over to the sofa.

"I feel like I should have been the one to make your tea. I think that was an upsetting conversation," she said, taking the offered cup.

"But you're my guest," Sheldon said, sitting down next to her. "And you had to sit listening to that terrible show Penny was watching."

Only temporary. Was her silence a form of holding back, which she had promised him she would not do? Diving off the deep end before she lost the willpower, Amy took a deep breath. "Will I always be your guest, Sheldon?"

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "What else would you be? The definition of a guest is a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity. I could use the word company, like my mother does, if you prefer."

Only temporary? Amy shook her head. "No, guest is fine. It's just that . . . I very much like spending time in your home."

"I like it, too. Very much," Sheldon replied. The smile he gave her next dazzled her with its warmth. "Please stay."

"Stay?" _Only temporary._

"This evening. Even though my original invitation was to watch a movie with Penny & Leonard, I would like it if you stayed this evening."

"But it's Laundry Night."

"Not for another two hours. Please stay."

Amy nodded and took a drink of her cooling tea. Of course she would stay. She would stay as long as he wanted her to. Someday, maybe, he would ask her to say for a very long time, indeed. As she took another drink, she noticed Sheldon was still watching her. She turned back to him.

"Amy?" He sat his mug down on coffee table in front of them.

"Yes?" She put her own mug down.

"I . . . well, I'm not sure how to say this, but . . . well," he took two deep breaths.

Amy's heart stilled.

"I want you to know. . ."

It happened in slow motion this time, like in a movie. Sheldon's hand brushing her neck, pulling her toward him, the way his eyelids fell slowly just before hers did, the feel of his lips on hers. It was soft and gentle and slow. He took his time, and the way he parted her lips, _oh my!,_ like she was so delicate. Something about the way he was holding her tonight, pulling her closer, treating her like she was so valuable, the way his hand found its way into her hair, how tender it felt there . . . She was melting into him, there was no other way to describe it. This didn't feel just like passion, this felt like something more profound. She felt exquisite and treasured and, _dare I think it?_, lov-

"Hey, Leonard, I was in the neighborhood-"

"Ack!" Amy wrenched away from the rapturous experience at the sound of the opening door and Howard's voice. Immediately followed by hot tea running down her shins. "Ouch, ouch."

"Amy!" Sheldon bent down to help her, she supposed, but when she looked up at him at the wrong moment and their heads cracked together painfully.

"Oh, guys! I'm so sorry. Leonard was I could borrow the movie when you were done with it, and I thought I'd stop by and pick it up. Are you okay?" Howard asked.

"Are we okay?" Sheldon asked. "Our brains are the two most important brains on the planet and you've had them banging together like castanets!"

* * *

><p>"So what do we do now?" Bernadette asked, gazing around Penny's cluttered apartment.<p>

"Pizza?" Leonard suggested. "I think that's the usual thanks-for-helping-us-move gift."

"Once again, it is not moving out if you are still using a room in my apartment for storage," Sheldon interjected.

"Shut up, Sheldon," Leonard said. "If you don't think I've really moved than you don't get any pizza since you didn't help me move out."

Sheldon huffed and crossed over to the door. "Excuse me while I go change my wifi password. My wifi. Only mine. Because I live alone!" The door slammed behind him.

"Why did you do that?" Amy looked accusingly at Leonard.

"Do what?"

"Come on, Amy, even you have to admit Sheldon is acting ever weirder than usual today," Raj said.

"He's just upset. This is a very difficult for him."

"No, carrying one box across a hallway is not difficult. Living with Sheldon for ten years, now that is difficult," Howard replied for Leonard.

Everyone except Amy laughed. She has seen them tease Sheldon before, of course, but she never liked it. Especially not today. She knew how hard this was for him.

"You guys can be really cruel sometimes, you know. I would have thought being bullied as children would have taught you how much that can hurt." She turned on heels, and slammed the door for a second time.

After crossing the hallway, she knocked gently on the door to 4A. "Sheldon, it's me."

There was no reply, so she gently opened the door and peeked around it. He was sitting on the sofa. "Can I come in?"

He nodded, looking down at his hands. Amy entered and shut the door behind her. Worried that someone else would follow them and only make things worse, she flipped the deadbolt.

"You're not sitting in your spot." She regretted saying it, hoping it didn't sound accusing or hurtful.

He just nodded. Amy sat next to him, sitting in his spot since he was in hers.

"Are you trying to embrace change?" she whispered.

He nodded again. Amy's heart broke for him. He was trying so very hard, but he looked so miserable. Without asking, she put her arms around him, hugging him just like she had that day he was upset about Kripke's research. He took her offered hug for a minute, before wiggling slightly. She relaxed her grasp to let him go, but instead he turned toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his head on her shoulder. She enveloped him again, wondering how such a tall man could seem so small.

"Amy-" "Sheldon-"

They pulled apart and gave each other a small smile. She waited for him to speak this time.

"I have something to tell you. Something I should have told you before," Sheldon said.

"I have something to tell you, too," Amy replied.

"You first," they said at the same time again. Once more, they smiled at each other, deeper this time.

"I love you." These most important words, the ones they had both been saving for months, came in unison, in perfect accord, in perfect agreement.

Amy thought she would die of happiness. Finally telling him what she felt, knowing he felt it, too. The added joy that they were so alike, so in sync, that they had said it together, filled the room.

Their smiles broadened further, and Amy leaned in to seal it with a kiss.

"Amy, wait," Sheldon stopped her. "There's something else I want to say." He took a deep breath. "I know what you've been thinking, but I don't want you to ever move in as my roommate."

"What?" Amy cried in pain, actually thinking she might vomit, the agony and shock was so great. _Why would he do that? Tell me he loves me and then tell me we can never be together?_ She swallowed repeatedly to get the bile down.

"Because," another deep breath from Sheldon, "when you move in, it will because I'm ready to spend every moment at your side. Even at night." One more deep breath and he blushed. "Because I'm going to have coitus with you."

Amy cried again, not in pain, but because the room was spinning around her. "Did you say when?"

"Yes, when. Are you okay?"

"Coitus?" _I__'__m going to die. Right here, right now. This is all too much._

"Yes, coitus." His face became pinched. "Unless that's not what you want. I thought you wanted live here and have coitus with me. Someday."

"Someday?"

"Yes. Someday . . . soon. It's what I want."

"Hell, yeah!" Amy pushed him back into the sofa and climbed over him.

"Amy, language! And what do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

* * *

><p>Forty minutes later, the five of them sat eating in silence, the pizza not tasting nearly as good as it usually did.<p>

"I feel bad," Bernadette sighed.

"Me too," Raj answered.

"Maybe we should go get Mr. and Mrs. Wack-a-doddle and tell them the pizza in here," Penny said.

"Yea, you're right. I'll go," Leonard got up.

He walked across the hall, straining his ears for any sounds from his old apartment. Nothing. He reached out for the doorknob, "Shel-"

He stopped. _It__'__s locked. Oh my God, it__'__s locked! Sheldon and Amy are behind a locked door! _He scurried back across the hall. "You guys, you guys!"

"What?" They all answered together.

"Sheldon and Amy have locked the door!"

"Holy crap on a cracker!" Penny squealed. "Finally!"

"When the door is lockin', don't come a-knockin'," Howard quipped.

Everyone else groaned.

"Too soon? Too disgusting?" he asked.

Bernadette patted his arm. "Both. It's Sheldon and Amy, remember?"

"I mean, how many geniuses does it take to lock a door anyway? It's like a bad joke," Penny said. "I thought it was never going to end."

"Does this mean I win? I had December!" Raj asked.

"Win what?" Bernadette asked.

"We had a pool," Howard said. "How long it would take for Sheldon and Amy to lock the door. I have to say I don't mind losing this bet. I was starting to run out of excuses."

"Wait! So you guys were walking in on them on purpose?" Bernadette asked.

"Do you blame us? It kept getting more ridiculous!" Howard said. "Even though I'm pretty sure my retinas are burned."

"I don't even own a fondue pot," Raj said. "I knew Sheldon wouldn't let me make fondue around his video games, so I just pretended to be mad when he refused to allow me to get it out."

"Yeah, it was fun. I thought for sure they'd figure it after I caught them in those ridulous French costumes, but they were still oblivious," Leonard said, smiling. "Although Penny got the best one. How long do you think Amy was hiding behind the couch?"

Penny laughed. "I don't know! I couldn't think of another excuse to go in there!"

"Penny, you were in on this?" Bernadette asked.

Penny smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. The first time really was an accident, but then it happened to Leonard, too. And they were both so guilty looking! And, well, Sheldon's little situation . . ."

"Ugh! Penny, we're eating!" Raj yelled.

"Well, I may not have known about this game - and you're in big trouble, Howard Wolowitz - but I wish you could have seen how Amy was acting at her apartment that morning," Bernadette chuckled.

"It's true. Bernie's stories are the best. Do the impression!" Howard encouraged.

Two minutes later, they were all laughing hysterically.

* * *

><p>The first ten minutes had been excruciating, feeling the weight of her on him, knowing every part of her body was in contact with every part of his body. But the last thirty minutes, exhilarating. Amy's body covering him, sizzling every part of him she touched, her lips never so fiery and beckoning. And her neck . . . And her cheeks . . . And her forehead . . . And her ears . . . Stroking her hair and her back and her bottom. Letting Amy slip her hand on to the bare skin of his side, feeling the hot pokers that were her fingers . . . His lips almost hurt from overuse, his body almost in pain for want of release. <em>Yes<em>, definitely_ sooner rather than later._

They froze when they heard Leonard's voice and rattle of the doorknob. Amy put her finger on his lips, while they lay there, tense and waiting. A few minutes later, they heard an explosion of laughter from across the hall. Amy slumped against him, resting her head on his chest.

"Good," Sheldon said, caressing her hair, just content to hold her, "no one's figured it out. It's still our secret."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: This fic would not have been possible without AnotherBritFan, who asked me to write a little one shot in which Sheldon &amp; Amy keep getting interrupted while kissing. Well, five chapters later, here's your little one shot! She also provided a couple of ideas, which I toyed with here. Yes, it's silly and unrealistic and, yes, they would have locked the door sooner, but this fic was written in the spirit of a sitcom. I'm so glad you all enjoying reading it. Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement.<em>**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p><em>Crap! <em>This was the last thing her day needed.

Penny climbed the stairs in frustration. Her horrible day had started early. The first doctor gave her a royal chewing out for forgetting what Penny thought was a tiny little detail about a deadly side effect that effected less than 1% of patients. Then the next doctor refused to see her because she hadn't brought cookies, claiming he never met with a drug rep who didn't bring food. Penny reviewed the notes from the previous rep with this route and there was no mention of cookies. Later, yet another doctor refused to meet with her because he took meetings with drug reps by appointment only. This time the notes revealed that Penny had, in fact, overlooked this vital piece of information.

Finally home at last, she had sighed with relief, looking forward to a foot massage from Leonard. She stepped out of the car and promptly dropped her keys down the drainage grate. _Crap!_

She called Leonard on her way toward their apartment building, wanting to give him a heads up to unlock the door and open a bottle of wine (or three).

"Sorry, honey, I'm not at home. You said you'd be late so I stayed here to catch up on some of my own work," he said. _Crap! _"Get Sheldon to let you in. Amy took him home, so he should be there. Have some wine. Give me ten more minutes, I'll leave and pick up dinner on the way home. Then I promise I've give you the best foot massage of your life."

_Crap._ The last thing Penny wanted to do was ask Sheldon for a favor. It wasn't that she didn't love Sheldon, in a brotherly sort of way (a very, very special brother), but the last thing she wanted to hear was a lecture from him on preparation, memorization, whatever it was called to hold things in your hand, or, she thought as her shoes pinched her, proper footwear.

_Maybe I can just go in and take the spare key out of his desk, and he__'__ll never notice I__'__m there. Maybe he__'__s in his bedroom doing whatever he does with comic books in his bedroom. Ew! Shouldn__'__t have thought that._ She put her hand on the knob of Sheldon's door and turned it.

It was locked.

_Double crap. He__'__s not home. Maybe he__'__s at Amy__'__s. _Penny started to turn around to collapse against her own door, and, if she was being honest, have a good cry, but then she heard something inside Sheldon's apartment. She almost cried anyway, but this time with joy. She knocked.

Nothing. Well, more shuffling sounds from inside, but the door didn't open.

She knocked louder. Nothing. She smacked the door with her palm. "Sheldon Cooper, I know you're in there! I can hear you! Now open this door!"

More jumbled noises from inside. At last, Sheldon open the door, but just a crack, so only a sliver of his face was showing.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Oh, Sheldon, thank God! It's a long story and I really don't want to talk about it, but I need the spare key to my apartment. I'm locked out."

"Very well," he moved away from the door.

_Wow, that was easy. And easy is not a word I think of when I think of Sheldon._ She pushed the door open all the way, and Sheldon swung around from his desk, where he was opening the drawer. "Penny!"

She could see now that Sheldon's hair was in a state of disarray, parts sticking up, parts sticking out, his part obscured . . .

"Sheldon, what's up with your hair?"

He handed her the key with one hand and reached up to smooth his hair with the other. "Here's the key. I expect it back."

"I asked you-"

A sound like a covered cough came from sofa. Penny turned her head sharply. Amy was sitting on the sofa, and she, too, had apparently visited the Sheldon Cooper beauty parlor. She was also attempting to smooth her hair with her hand, but it looked so tangled Penny knew the only thing that would help that would be some serious conditioner.

For the first time that day, Penny genuinely smiled. "What are you two up to?"

"We're studying the obsolete amalgamation of primitive neuroanatomy and moral philosophy known as phrenology," Amy said matter-of-factly.

Penny couldn't decide if it was too matter-of-factly. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"Honestly, Penny, as a pseudoscience that hasn't been popular since the 19th century, I doubt if kids these days know anything about it," Sheldon said.

* * *

><p>"Sorry you drove all the way over here, but I can't find it anywhere. Either I got rid of it or it's in my old room at Sheldon's," Leonard said.<p>

"No, it's okay, I was driving by anyway on the way back from my mom's. Do you think Sheldon has one?" Howard asked.

"Probably. You should go ask him."

"Do you know if he's home?"

"I haven't driven him anywhere and it isn't date night, so, yes he's home," Leonard answered.

"Okay, guess I'll go over there now. Thanks again," Howard said, stepped into the hallway, and waved.

"Good night," Leonard cheered after him.

Howard crossed the hallway and reached for the handle of 4A. It was locked. He ran through Sheldon's schedule in his head. Yep, he should be home tonight.

He reached up knocked. No reply. He leaned in closer. No noise. Where could he be? Leonard was right; if Leonard or Amy didn't drive him somewhere, it was rare for him to leave the apartment. The bus was reserved for emergencies. Well, Sheldon's version of an emergency.

He knocked again louder and longer. "Sheldon!"

"Hold your proverbial horses!" a yell came from inside.

_Oh, yeah, he__'__s in a good mood. _When Sheldon finally opened the door, Howard noticed there was something different about him. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

Howard instinctively stepped into the apartment. "Hey, Sheldon! I was wondering you have a -"

Sheldon raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Why are you only wearing one shirt?" _That was it!_ Sheldon was wearing one of his short sleeve graphic tee shirts but there was no long sleeve undershirt beneath it.

"I took it off."

"Yeah, I see that, but why . . ." Howard looked around the apartment and his eyes arrested when they saw it. Purple and pink stripes. Long sleeved. Buttons down the front. Tossed carelessly on the sofa. Definitely not a tee shirt. "Hey, is that one of Amy's -"

"Sheldon! Hurry up! This break will set us back in our efforts. I don't know how you think it's going to get hard without both us working on it!" Yes, definitely Amy's cardigan. As surely as that was Amy's voice from . . . down the hall? Like . . . maybe a bedroom?

"Soooooo, Amy's here?" Howard asked, raising up the balls of his feet.

"Yes."

"Annnnnndddddd you're . . . ?" Howard rubbed his hands together.

"Building a paper-mache model Stonehenge in the bathtub."

"Huh."

"What was it you were wanting? I need to get back to Amy before we both get too frustrated."

"Nevermind."

* * *

><p>Penny opened the door, and Bernadette grinned.<p>

"Yeah! Let me grab my purse!" Penny cheered.

"Are we picking up Amy on the way?" Bernadette asked.

"I guess not. I've been trying to text her for an hour and haven't gotten any answer," Penny answered.

"It is date night?"

"No. But then she's over there all the time now, so maybe that's it."

"I'll try calling her," Bernadette offered. She took her phone out of her purse, and dialed Amy's number. She hung up. "Straight to voicemail. So she's either on a call or she's turned it on Do Not Disturb. Seems a little weird, right?"

"This is Amy we're talking about," Penny smiled and shut her apartment door behind her. "But maybe you're right. Let's at least see if she's at Sheldon's."

They crossed the hall, and Penny reached for the door knob. Bernadette supposed it was out of habit, she used to just walk into 4A all the time. But it was locked. Penny rolled her eyes, and Bernadette giggled before knocking. No one came.

"He has to be home, I can hear music," Bernadette said.

"Huh, that's weird. Sheldon isn't really a music guy. And what is that song? It sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

"Me, too," Bernadette raised her arm and knocked louder. She jumped back with the door opened with unexpected force.

Amy was standing there, flushed and panting, and she was wearing . . . only a tee shirt with her skirt. And it was untucked.

"Oh, hi, guys!" she panted, upbeat music rolling out the door around her. "What's up?"

"Uhhhh," Bernadette and Penny said in unison.

"Hurry up, Amy, we'll lose the rhythm!" Sheldon's voice called from behind her. "And we were just getting good at this!"

Bernadette pushed the door open wider to reveal Sheldon, also red and breathless, fanning himself with a comic book with one hand and fanning his back by lifting his tee shirts with the other. Bernadette noticed neither of them were wearing shoes and clothes were strewn all over the living room.

"May we help you?" he asked.

"Uhhhhhh," Bernadette and Penny said in unison.

"Cat got your tongue?" he asked.

"Uhhh, we were wondering if Amy wanted to go out," Bernadette said very slowly.

"Thanks, guys, but I discovered an old version of Dance Dance Revolution in Sheldon's closet, so we're too busy getting a good work-out, if you know what I mean," Amy said.

"Oookay," Penny said. "I'm not sure I want to know. Come on, Bernie, let's go." Penny pulled her down the stairs. They ran until they collapsed with laughter.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: It's back! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you in advance for your reviews.<em>**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

><p>It had all started that day at lunch in the cafeteria. Amy had been able join them which, while not common, was not unwelcome. At first, Raj had shared the feelings of his other male friends that Amy was rude and egotistical and too strange. She was just like Sheldon, and they already had one too many of him. But it quickly became abundantly clear to them that Amy was the only person who was capable of actually taming the beast, and Sheldon was, although they had not thought it possible, worse without her in his life. Over time, though, Raj had found that he grew to enjoy Amy's quirky, sarcastic personality in its own right. And even if Leonard seemed strangely ambivalent about her at times, Howard, too, had become a fan.<p>

Then there was the effect she had on Sheldon, which was astounding to them all. For a man who claimed to hate romance and not believe in the social constructs of love, sometimes Raj saw a look pass from him to her that belied all those statements. Raj wondered if Sheldon Cooper realized how head-over-heals, hopelessly in love he was. When he heard from Howard (who heard from Leonard who heard from Penny who heard from Amy) that Sheldon had admitted his love to her, Raj just smiled. Howard and Leonard and everyone else were shocked; not Raj. Raj had known for a very long time. Not to mention all the kissing they had all witnessed the previous autumn, before Sheldon and Amy had figured out how to lock the door.

So, that spring day, it had come up in conversation that Amy and Sheldon were hoping their Amazon pre-order of _The Theory of Everything_ Blu-ray would have arrived. They were equally crazy about the movie but for different reasons. Discussion of the movie followed, but Raj had to remind everyone that he had missed the group outing to see it in the theater the previous November because of a bad cold.

". . . No spoilers, you guys," he said. "Maybe Sheldon will let me borrow it."

"It's about Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest living physicists. How can their be spoilers? Shouldn't you know enough about his life to single-handily recreate his Wikipedia entry in the event of an Internet apocalypse?" Sheldon had asked. "And you call yourself a physicist."

"Why don't you come over this evening to Sheldon's and watch it with us?" Amy volunteered.

Sheldon's thin frame snapped to look at her. "But, Amy, I thought we were going to watch it alone."

"Oh, I didn't realize we were having an additional Date Night this week. Did you have something . . . romantic planned?" Amy asked him.

"Don't be absurd." Sheldon frowned before turning back to Raj. "Come at 6:30."

Raj couldn't help but smile at the way Amy had played Sheldon just like a harp. He smiled again at the memory as he climbed the steps to Sheldon's apartment that evening. He was early. Prior to Amy, he would have walked at least one lap around the block to burn through the extra minutes as the only thing worse to Sheldon than being early was being late. But, if Amy was there, and he was fairly certain she would be, she would keep Sheldon from blowing up.

Raj reached for the door knob, expecting it to be unlocked since he was invited. That's how it always used to be. But it was locked. So Raj knocked. And waited. He knocked again. And waited again. Just about to knock for the third time, frustrated that he was being ignored, he heard footsteps running toward him, the flip of the deadbolt, and then footsteps running away.

He opened the door slowly, unsure what all that running meant. There was no sign of Sheldon or Amy. Then who had unlocked the door?

"Uh, hello?" he called.

"You're early. Sit down and wait." He heard Sheldon's voice commanding from the end of he kitchen near the stove.

"Okay," Raj answered, thinking he must have been wrong and Amy's wasn't here yet.

Sitting in the white chair, he wondered exactly what Sheldon was doing in the kitchen. He wasn't a big fan of cooking, but it was possible he was reheating something. Or maybe he was just putting the teakettle on, although he'd probably been over there a little too long for that. He opened his mouth to ask, but then he heard Sheldon speak instead.

"Amy, you have to keep moving or it's not going to work. It's bad enough Raj interrupted us."

Wait! Amy was here? Where? Were they both squeezed into that little space at the end of the kitchen? Raj wished he had sat somewhere else so he could see. The only way they could both fit in the space would be if -

"Maybe if you backed off a little, I'd have enough room to move." That was definitely Amy's voice. Yes, they were apparently very close together in the kitchen.

He heard a shuffle and what sounded like a grunt from Sheldon. Then, horrors of horrors, some sort of rhythmic rubbing sound. Raj sat up very straight.

"Just make sure you don't stop until it's done. It requires constant friction," Sheldon's disembodied voice said.

"I'm a scientist, Sheldon, I understand the concept even if I've never done it before."

Raj stood up. "You know, I think I'm going leave and let you two watch the movie alone. Or whatever it is you're, uh, doing. Thanks for the invitation."

He took two steps forward.

"Why are you leaving?" Sheldon's head popped around the corner of the refrigerator. "We're almost done."

"Yes, stay, Sheldon's just teaching me how to make Jiffy Pop, like when he was child," Amy yelled.

And then Raj heard the distinctive sounds of popcorn popping.

* * *

><p>" . . . So that means next week you'll be engaged to full-blown pharmaceutical representative, officially done with training."<p>

"I'm so proud of you. And I'm happy you like it," Leonard said, shutting the door to their apartment behind him. "Are you sad about acting?"

"Nah, I still get to pretend to be somebody I'm not and say big words that I don't know that they mean," Penny answered.

"Hey, guys."

Leonard looked to see Howard, Raj, and Bernadette all climbing the stairs. As per their usual Friday night ritual, they were all assembling at Sheldon's for Asian food and conversation. Pleasantries were exchanged, and Leonard reached for the doorknob to Sheldon's apartment and stopped cold.

"What?" Howard asked.

"It's locked."

"Oh, hell, why is he locking the door all the time now?" Penny grumbled.

"Hey, do you think he finally figured out our little wager in the fall and now he's punishing us?" Raj whispered. "It was locked when I came over here to watch the movie last week."

They all looked at each other.

"Wait! Where's Amy?"

They all looked at each other again.

"But they know we were coming," Bernadette protested.

"Can you hear anything?" Raj asked.

"Shouldn't we just knock?" Bernadette asked.

But Leonard had leaned his face against the door. He whispered. "Okay, I hear talking. Amy must be in there."

"What are they saying?" Penny whispered.

"Shhhh." A pause. "Okay, I think Amy just said 'No, that's not it."

Another pause. "Yes, it is, right there."

They all exchanged glances. Leonard whispered again, "But it doesn't feel right."

Howard's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa. Do you think -"

Leonard put his hand up. "Doesn't feel right? What difference does that make? There's a very clear diagram of the correct location." Pause. "Just because I haven't done this with you before doesn't mean I don't know how it's supposed to feel."

Howard covered his face with is hands.

"Higher." Pause. "Are you going to help me or do I have to do all the work myself?"

"Stop it!" Bernadette whispered yelled. "We just need to knock. They're expecting us!"

"But what if they're doing the nasty? Or, well, the cold, calculating version of the nasty that Sheldon and Amy would do?" Howard asked.

Leonard got his keys out of his pocket and jangled them until the key to Sheldon's was on top.

"You aren't just going to unlock the door and go in there are you?" Penny asked. "Howard could be right. We've all seen some weird stuff over here lately."

"They're expecting us," Leonard answered. "If they ever actually do whatever the opposite of the nasty is, I'm sure they will not plan it for a time when we're all coming over."

"What if they didn't plan it? You know, their bodies were so inflamed with passion they just couldn't hold back any longer?" Raj said. Everyone was still whispering.

They all turned to stare at him.

"Okay, maybe not," he shrugged.

Leonard turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open so that it swung wide. He took a step and leaned forward to peek around, and he was quickly joined by four other heads peeking around the edge of the door, piling on him and over him.

Sheldon was sitting in his spot, and Amy was in the white chair. Leonard couldn't be quite sure, but he thought maybe they seemed slightly breathless. Or was he imagining it? At any rate, at least they were both fully clothed, so his worst fears weren't realized.

"Hey, buddy, watcha doin'?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm teaching Amy to play Tri-Dimensional Chess," Sheldon waved his hand toward the _Star Trek_ inspired chess set in front of him.

"But the door was locked," Raj's voice came from somewhere above Leonard's head.

"Of course it was. I like in greater Los Angles county. Leaving my door unlocked just invites all sorts of riffraff to wonder in. All you had to do was knock."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you in advance for your reviews!<strong>_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

><p>"Sheldon, I think we should decide on the parameters," Amy said.<p>

"Parameters? What do you mean? I thought the parameters are self-explanatory."

"For example, we need to decide who will be on top."

"I assumed I would be on top."

"Why do you just assume that? Because you're a man?"

Sheldon answered, "No. But it was my idea to try this tonight, so I think I get to set the parameters. And, as a man, I have superior upper body strength, thus allowing me to hold myself up high enough I won't crush you with my weight."

"But if I'm top, my lower center of gravity will prevent me from crushing your chest, anyway. Instead, my pelvic region will be close to yours, just as it is when I've sat on your lap," Amy protested.

"Uh . . . Uh . . ." Sheldon's mouth felt very dry. Why did she have to bring that up? He remembered with perfect clarity the way her weight had felt on his lap, her legs spread, her skirt creeping ever upwards, the way her thigh had felt beneath his palm . . . He shifted uncomfortably on the sofa next to her. "Uh . . . well . . ."

"Proposal: You can be on top, but I am allowed to vocalize as I see fit."

"Vocalize?"

"Yes. I cannot predict exactly what I may be motivated to vocalize in the moment, but I think it may be something like 'Oh, Sheldon, yes, just like that.'"

"Amy, don't be . . ." the word vulgar fell away. Because, even though the impersonal way Amy had just said it did make it sound vulgar, suddenly, without warning, he imagined her moaning those very words, slow and soft, somewhere close to his ear, her hot breath on his cheek . . . _Oh, Sheldon, yes . . ._ "Fine."

"What about -"

Sheldon shot up off the sofa. "Did you hear that?"

He tiptoed over to the door, glancing down to make sure the lock was in the correct position, and pressed his ear to the door. He waved his hand behind him to ensure Amy's silence, but, of course, she was absolutely noiseless. A few seconds and Sheldon was certain he had heard footsteps on the stairs.

Rotating quickly back to look at Amy, he whisper yelled, "Assume the position!"

Practically diving onto the sofa, he landed on top of her.

"Mmmmph," she groaned.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"I told you I should have been on top," Amy whispered back.

He silenced her with a kiss, a hard, fast kiss. He saw her eyebrows raise just before she returned the action. He was not relaxed at all. Somehow he had landed not with his legs parallel to hers, as he had planned; instead, she was . . . spread eagle beneath him. There was no denying where their pelvic regions were. And, as he has so often wondered, is she actually hotter there? It was that thought that did it, and he sunk further down into her, pressing against her, his tongue breaking the barrier of her lips. The knock on the door was ignored.

Whispering outside the door. More kissing. Laughter outside the door. More kissing.

The door swung open behind him, and he battled his sympathetic nervous system to hold his place, gripping Amy shoulders harder, letting himself be seen like this. He felt Amy tense beneath him, too, and somehow that make it easier.

"Holy crap on a cracker!" "Jesus, guys!" "Ackkkk!" "Now I'm going to have nightmares!" "Okay, Sheldon, you've made your point. Lock the door, why don't you!"

The door slammed shut behind them. Sheldon's shoulders relaxed, and he lifted his face up. Amy was smiling up at him.

"I would say that was successful," she said.

"Yes," he said softly, too busy looking at her face. It occurred to him that in all the times they had made out, he had never looked down at her like this. Yet again, he was struck by the realization of how beautiful Amy was. How wonderful and . . . natural it was to see her like this, beneath him, her hair fanned out behind her.

"Amy?"

"Yes?"

"Should we get up now that our experiment appears to be complete?"

"Mmmmm, we could stay here." She smiled again, more slyly. "It happened so quickly I didn't get to vocalize."

He heard _Oh, Sheldon, yes . . ._ whispering in his head again, and he leaned down to kiss Amy, more gently this time. She melted beneath him and he felt like he was floating atop a river of pleasure and _she feels so good here under me_ and then Amy shifted slightly and his body was on fire and he moved his hand and _she is so soft and just the perfect size_ and -

Sheldon pulled back abruptly and looked down at his hand. His hand that was, without any doubt, cupping Amy's breast. He snatched it away like her chest was an oven.

"Sheldon, it's okay," Amy gently whispered.

He scrambled upright and sat back on his knees, his hand reaching up clutch his chest. Amy sat up, too, worry etched on her face. "Sheldon? Are you okay? It's perfectly fine that you touched me there. You can . . . touch me anywhere you want."

He nodded briskly. "I just . . . it's just that . . ."

_You can touch me anywhere you want_. How could he tell her what he wanted? He did want to touch her there. Soon. Very, very soon. He wanted to touch her there without her cardigan and her blouse. He wanted . . . _Oh, Sheldon, yes_ . . . he wanted . . .

"Amy?" he took his hand from his chest and brushed it along the edge of her face, settling it on her neck. "What are you doing next weekend? Say, Saturday night?"

* * *

><p>Amy stepped out of the shower, reaching for the blue towel. Drying herself off, she found herself humming <em>Sweet Caroline<em> and she smiled. Looking in the mirror, steamed up on the edges from the heat of the shower, she grinned. _Today is going to be a great day. Today is the beginning of the rest of my life._

She debated for a moment about whether to put on actual clothes or to put on a clean nightgown. Deciding that she had no plans for the morning, she elected the comfort and warmth of her nightgown and robe. She slipped her chilly feet into her slippers before opening the bathroom door.

Taking a few steps toward the kitchen, she stopped and smiled again to see Sheldon standing there, in his own robe, his hair in disarray, sliding pieces of bread onto plates.

"Smells delicious," she said.

He looked up and smiled. No, beamed. "French toast."

"But it's not French toast day."

If possible, his smile widened further. "You remembered. No, it's not French toast day. But it's a special occasion. I bought you both strawberries and blueberries. I wasn't sure which you'd prefer."

If possible, her smile widened further as she walked close to him, reaching for his shoulder. He turned and bent down to kiss her softly. "How do you feel this morning?"

"I feel fabulous," she answered.

"Me, too." He kissed her again. "Let's eat while it's hot. And your tea is ready."

Amy nodded and they went to the other side of the island to sit next to each other. Amy was just about to put a bite in her mouth, when the sound of the door behind her startled her.

"Hey, Sheldon, do you have any milk - Oh my God!"

Amy and Sheldon swiveled on their stools to look at Penny standing the doorway in her pajamas. Then she preceded to squeal, her almost constant yelp getting progressively louder. "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod, Leonnnnnard!"

The door across the hall opened and Leonard ran over. "Penny, what - Ohhhhhh."

Amy looked at Sheldon. "Did you forget to lock the door last night?"

"No, I locked it. I just unlocked it first thing this morning."

"Because that's what you always do?"

"No," he shrugged. "Just as with our kissing experiment, I thought if they wanted to see what we're up to over here so badly, we would show them. I also determined it was the most expedient way for news of our foray into coitus to reach our entire social circle without having to discuss explicit details with them. I estimate all of them will be aware of this new development within the half hour."

Amy turned back to their friends. Penny now appeared to be having some sort of fit as she repeatedly slapped Leonard's arm, her face formed in a silent scream. Leonard's eyebrows looked so heavy and low Amy was afraid they just might fall off his face.

"Sheldon, I like your style," Amy said.

"Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet," he replied.

They smiled at each other before turning back to their breakfasts.

THE END

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: What?! It's a T-rated story, folks. And a comedy. I refuse to write Shamy's first time as a comedy.<strong>_

_**But, yes, there's a missing chapter. To be posted later this week in the M-rated section . . .**_

_**And thank you for all your reviews and encouragement.**_


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